Slack-adjuster.



W. H. SAUVAGE.

SLACK ADJUSTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25, I916.

Patented May 29, 1917.

UNTTED %TA.TE% PATENT @FFTQFQ.

WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE, OF FLUSI-IIN'G, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 GOULD COUPLER COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SLACK-ADJUSTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, 121?.

Application filed. January 25, 1916. Serial No. 74,193.

State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Slack-Adjusters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to slack adjusters for the brake rigging of railway cars, and in its more intense aspect to automatic slack adjusters for the brake rigging of car trucks, although it is to be understood that without material modification many features of the invention are applicable to the foundation brake rigging adjacent the power cylinder beneath the car.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a simple and practical automatic slack adjuster having few parts which will be cheap to manufacture and install.

Another object is to provide a slack adjuster mechanism of the above general character which will be reliable and efficient in use and operation. A further object is to provide an automatic slack adjuster for the brake rigging of railway cars adapted to insure predetermined piston travel whether located on the truck or adjacent the power cylinder.

Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawings and in part indicated in connection therewith by the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of parts and in the unique relations of the members and in the relative proportioning and disposition thereof; al as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art so fully to comprehend the underlying features thereof that they may embody the same by the numerous modifications in struc ture and relation contemplated by this invention, drawings depicting a preferred form have been annexed as a part of this disclosure, and in such drawings, like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all the views, of which Figure l is a side elevational view, partly in section, of such parts of the truck and associated brake rigging as are necessary to fully understand the present invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are detail views of certain parts.

Referring now to the drawings in detail and more particularly to Fig. 1, 5 denotes a car bolster of any desired type provided with a lug or projection 6 at one side thereof, supporting one end of a take up rod 7. This rod supports the bifurcated upper end of a dead lever 8 secured to a permanent take up and holding device 10 adapted to be moved along the rod 7 toward the right to permanently take up and hold the excess travel of the brake rigging as the brake shoes and parts wear. I

At the lower end of the dead lever 8 is pivotally secured a push rod 11 the opposite end of which is similarly secured to the lower end of a live lever 12. The up per end of this live lever is pivotally con-- nectec. to a pull rod 13 and is adapted to coact on return to normal position with a stop 14 secured to the side of the truck frame.

This stop may be applied to the live lever by elongating the end of the pull rod 13 beyond its point of connection with the live lever 12, if desired, for either of these mechanisms will effectively limit the return movement although it is believed that a stop secured to the bolster as herein shown will permit a more ready adaptation of the slack adjuster mechanism to trucks now in general use.

Both the live and dead levers are provided with struts 15 associated with brake beams 16 if the truck is of that type employing brake beams. The strut associated with the live lever 12 is of bifurcated type and is provided with an intermediate lug 17 adapted to maintain proper angular relation between the live lever and its strut. A return spring 18 is associated with the pivotal connection 20 between these parts and is so formed as to cause a localized turning movement between the parts when tensioned on application.

This spring 18 is preferably of U-shaped construction having its upper ends connec ed by means of a bolt 21 while its lower portion 22 passes under the strut. termediate portions or sides are coiled one or more times about the pivot pin 20. At this same point of connection 20 is pivotally secured one end of an adjusting rod 23 the opposite end of which passes through a casting 24 shown in Fig. 2, supported from pivotal connection 25 connecting the dead lever and its strut.

This casting 24 has spaced apart or separated ears between which is positioned a yielding friction clamp 26 firmly gripping the rod 23 yet adapted to permit relative sliding movement under certain conditions in either direction. This mechanism consti tutes what may be termed temporary takeup and holding mechanism; that is, excess travel of the brakes above predetermined lost motion provided for between the friction clamp 26 and depending lugs or cars of the member 2% will cause a relative sliding movement of the rod through the clamp equal to this excess travel, and when the brakes are returned to normal position the shoes will drop away from the peripheries of the wheel an amount corresponding to the predetermined lost motion, or until. the clamp 26 engages the right hano depending ear whereupon it will act as a temporary stop and on complete return movement of the live lever tonormal position reaction will take place through the intervening connections and move the permanent take-up and holding deyice 1O progressively along the rod 7. This lost motion may be regulated or adjusted to a certain extent by interposing one or more washers 27 between the friction clamp and one of the ears of the member 24.

This permanent holding mechanism comprises a housing 10 within which are positioned one or more dogs 31 having holes therethrough or a shape corresponding to the cross section of the rod 7. These dogs are normally held in canted position by a coil spring 32 engaging the side of the adjacent dog, so that they have a biting ongagement with the red when urged rela tively in one direction yet will permit relative movement between the housing and rod as the slack is taken up.

This device operates in substantially the following manner: On application of the brakes the upper end of the live lever 12 moves toward the left and reacts through the push rod ll upon the dead lover to carry the associated brake beams and theirshoes into proper coactive relationwith the wheel. This movement of the live lever will place 'the release spring 18 under tension and if excess travel takes place, the clamp 26 will be dragged along the adjusting rod 23, due to its engagen'ient with the left hand stop ear an amount equal to the excess travel, thus temporarily taking up any wear that may have occurred, especially upon the brake shoes. When the brakes are released, however, a r verse operation of the live and dead levers and intervening push ro'd takes place and the shoes are permitted to drop away from the periphery of the wheels by reason of the lost motion connection associated with the dead lever. The live lever is returned to normal position under the action of the release spring but if excess travel has taken place a complete return thereof is prevented until the permanent take up and holding mechanism has been operated. It will be clear that an engagement of the friction clamp 26 with the right hand car will hold the brake beam in spaced relation and continued angular movement of the live lever with respect to its strut will cause a pull to be exerted upon the lower end of the dead lever 8 and a corresponding right hand movement of its upper end, thus causing the permanent take up and holding device to slide along the rod 7 the necessary amount to permit full return and complete take up of excess travel.

W hen it is necessary to replace worn brake shoes the dogs 31 in the housing 10 are released in any desired manner, as'by means attached thereto operable from the side of the truck to avoid the necessity of having one pass beneath the car, as shown in my copending application, Serial Numher 74,176. On release of these holding parts, a bar is inserted between the periphcry oi the wheel and brake shoe to force these parts away from one another. This movement will cause the permanent take up and holding device, as well as the temporary holding device, to move along their respective coacting rods toward the left, after which the new brake shoes may be applied and on first application of the brakes the entire mechanism will automatically adjust itself to proper position, allowing for the predetermined clearance between the brake shoes and the periphery of the wheel.

It is thus seen that the present invention provides a simple and practical automatic slack adjusting mechanism adapted to accomplish, among others, all of the objects and advantages above set forth.

lVithout further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that,'from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention, and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

What T claim is:

1. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever and a dead lever positioned upon opposite sides of a truck bolster, a stop adapted to liinit the movement of the live lever to normal position, a permanent take-up and holding device associated with the upper end of the dead lever, a push rod,

an adjusting device associated with the lower ends of said dead lever, and a return spring associated with the point of connection between the adjusting rod and the live lever.

2. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a dead lever, a push rod connecting the ends of said levers, a permanent take up device associated with the upper end of the dead lever, an adjusting rod connecting said levers having a lost motion connection with one of said levers, and a return spring associated with the point of connection between the adjusting device and the live lever.

3. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a dead lever, a push rod connecting the ends of said levers, a permanent take up device associated with the upper end of the dead lever, an adjusting rod connecting said levers having a lost motion connection with one of said levers and a sliding frictional connection with the other, and a return spring associated with the point of connection between the adjusting device and the live lever.

4. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a dead lever, a push rod connecting the ends of said levers, a permanent take up device associated with the upper end of the dead lever, an adjusting rod connecting said levers having a lost motion connection with one of said levers, a return spring associated with the point of connection between the adjusting device and the live lever, and a stop adapted to coact with the live lever to limit its return movement.

5. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a brake beam strut associated therewith, and a stop mounted upon one of said parts adapted to coact with the other to maintain predetermined angular relation therebetween.

6. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a strut pivoted thereon, a return spring associated with the pivotal connection adapted to be tensioned on application of the brakes, and a stop between the live lever and the strut to limit the return of the live lever to normal position.

7. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a dead lever, a push rod connecting said levers, struts pivotally connected with each of said levers, a return spring associated with one of the pivotal connections,

and a stop coacting with the strut and live lever adapted to limit the return movement of the live lever.

8. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a dead lever, a push rod connecting said levers, struts pivotally connected with each of said levers, a return spring associated with one of the pivotal connections and acting between the strut and live lever, and a stop associated with the upper end of the live lever adapted to limit its return movement.

9. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a dead lever, a push rod connecting said levers, struts pivotally connected with each of said levers, a return spring associated with one of the pivotal connections and acting between the strut and live lever, and a stop mounted upon the truck frame adapted to arrest the return of the live lever to normal position.

10. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a non-extensible push rod connecting said levers, a permanent take up and holding device associated with the dead lever, an adjusting device connecting said levers substantially parallel with the push rod, a lost motion connection at one end of the adjusting rod comprising a friction clamp engaging the adjusting rod, and a bifurcated member mounted upon the dead lever between portions of which the friction device is adapted to operate.

11. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a dead lever, a rod secured to arelatively fixed part of the truck and supporting the upper end of the dead lever, a permanent take up and holding device associated with the rod, an intervening link between the lower ends of the live and dead levers, an adjusting rod pivotally connected with one of the levers and having a lost motion connection with the other, struts associated with the levers adjacent the points of connection between the levers and the adjusting rod, and a return spring adapted to maintain predetermined angular relation between the live lever and the strut.

12. In a slack adjuster, in combination, a live lever, a dead lever, a take up rod secured to a relatively fixed part of the truck frame and supporting the upper end of the dead lever, a permanent take up and holding device associated with said take up rod, an intervening link between the lower ends of the live and dead levers, an adjusting. rod pivotally connected with one of the levers and having a lost motion connection with the other, a strut associated with the live lever adjacent the point of connection between the lever and the adjusting rod, a return spring adapted to maintain predetermined angular relation between the live lever and the strut, and a stop lug adapted to coact with the live lever to limit its return movement.

Signed at New York in the county of New York and State of New York this 16th day of December A. D. 1915.

WILLIAM H. SAUVAGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

